The Sex Pistols

18 Dec 20:01

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Malcolm McLaren's brainchild, this group and its numerous outrageous members came to personify punk - indeed, today their name is virtually a descriptor for the genre. With a massively violent stage shows and a huge amount of appeal thanks to their anti-establishment image, their debut Anarchy In The UK was hugely hyped - but terrified shops refused to stock it, and the band was dropped by their label. Cue the arrival of Sid Vicious, easily the scariest Pistol, who replaced Glen Matlock. Virgin Records was brave enough to issue the subsequent single God Save The Queen, during the week of the Silver Jubilee. The outcome, as you can imagine, was somewhat predictable. Although creatively the bands never hit the heights of their previous work, they remained controversial, even after an American tour virtually destroyed the band. Johnny Rotten quit in early-1978, and Vicious' death of a heroin overdose in February 1979 was a tragic final nail in the coffin of the band.